WI: Lee fights for the Union

This has been discussed in other threads. Lee was offered command of an army, not all Union armies. He also had a learning curve - West Virginia was a failure, the Seven Days was miscoordinated. And his record on offense was not very good.

Most likely his career parallel's OTL's McDowell, sent into battle before the troops are really ready, makes his own mistakes, and is sidelined for the rest of the war. (Though he might be sent west instead and prove he was better than he initially appeared.)

Without Lee, there's a good chance Richmond falls to McClellan during the Peninsula Campaign. If Little Mac doesn't rest on his laurels, there's a good chance the war is shorter and less bloody.
 

67th Tigers

Banned
Yeah, Lee was offered command of the Department of Washington, which he initially accepted on the proviso Virginia did not leave the Union. Mansfield got that job OTL.

Something worth noting that in "Lee stays" scenarios of Samuel Cooper will remain Adj Gen of the US, Joe Johnston will be QMG, both ahead of Lee in the US Army.
 

Dirk_Pitt

Banned
I would say is if you can keep Virginia in the Union you've got a shot. I would say that a good way to do that is to change a decision on a resolution about 30-40 years before the ACW. Don't remember when it was but I do remember what the resolution was. It was to deal with the free blacks in the state. Either complete enslavement or gradual compensated emancipation of the enslaved blacks. In the end it meant nothing, it remained status quo. If you change that to gradual emancipation you've got a shot at a Virginia and Lee that stays in the Union. But that also changes other things as well such as where the war in the east would be fought. It also it makes it much more difficult to capture the Confederate capital as it will most likely remain in the deep south unless the Confederates are stupid enough to move it to North Carolina. I always wondered what possessed the Confederates to move their capital to Virginia in the first place... when the Union's plan to win the war centered on capturing their Capital. Which was stupid also when you consider that they had a very go precedent to the opposite... anyone willing to guess what that is?
 
Something worth noting that in "Lee stays" scenarios of Samuel Cooper will remain Adj Gen of the US, Joe Johnston will be QMG, both ahead of Lee in the US Army.

What 67th is alluding to is Lee will probably only stay with the Union if Virginia does not secede. If this happens there's a chance North Carolina won't secede either.
 
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